The increasing functionality of electronic devices provides the user more convenience in adapting a piece of gear to his or her specific requirements. With the increasing number of features available in a piece of gear there has not been a concomitant increase of the gear's size. Technology has made it possible to pack many transistors in the underlying circuits that make up the gear. For example, computing capability that once required a space on a tabletop now fits in the palm of one's hand. Similar trends are exhibited in audio/visual equipment, wireless telephones, diagnostic medical equipment and the like. Consequently, the user-interface is scaled-down with the size of the equipment.
Although one can miniaturize the equipment, a challenge exists to enable the user to easily interact with such equipment and yet maintain features. Human physiology sets limits as to how small a piece of equipment may be made and yet still be sufficiently convenient and enjoyable to use. Attributes found on larger gear, for example a laptop computer and its keyboard and display, provide high functionality and ease of use. The keyboard accommodates the hands and the display is large enough to be easy to read. However, such attributes may have to be sacrificed in going smaller. However, the sacrifice cannot be so great as to render the miniaturized gear too bothersome and too limited in capability